March 17, 2018 - JH: St. Patrick's Day Special

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Date: March 17, 2018

Host: JH (Jan Hunsinger)
Feature: St. Patrick's Day Special - songs by "Irish" artists


Playlist

[Playing the #1 songs based on weeks at the top of the chart, from 1955 to 1975, in some years there were ties; songs with * were requests; all chart information comes from the Billboard Top 100 (for chart dates before/during July 1958) or Billboard Hot 100 (for chart dates during/after Aug 1958) unless otherwise noted]

6pm-7pm  

OPENING THEME:  Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969 - #29: produced by Jimi Hendrix)

The Boys Are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy (1976 - #12: #499 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time for the group that was formed in Dublin in 1969)


Girl Watcher - The O'Kaysions (1968 - #5: white pop-soul band from Wilson, N.C.)

Drill Ye Tarriers, Drill - Frankie Laine (1955 - UC: one of the biggest hit-makers of the late '40s and early '50s with over 70 charting records, Laine also sang the theme song for the movie Blazing Saddles; this song was sung by the Irish workers who built the transcontinental railroad)


Clair - Gilbert O'Sullivan (1972 - #2: born Raymond O'Sullivan in Waterford, Ireland)

*Vehicle - Ides of March (1970 - #2: request for the group out of Chicago with the name of that March 15 day)

Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues -  Danny O'Keefe (1972 - #9: one-hit wonder for the artist who is still active in the studio and on stage)


Whiskey on a Sunday - The Irish Rovers (1968 - #75)

*The Unicorn - The Irish Rovers (1968 - #7: two in a row from the Irish-born folk group; song was written by Shel Silverstein, who also wrote "A Boy Named Sue")



San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) - Scott McKenzie (1967 - #4: big hit from the Summer of Love that was written and produced by Papa John Phillips)

Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile) - Van Morrison (1972 - #61)


Call Me Up in Dreamland - Van Morrison (1971 - #95: twofer from the artist born in Belfast, Ireland)

45 corner

Give Ireland Back to the Irish - Wings (1972 - #21: debut single for the Paul McCartney-formed group; his response to "Bloody Sunday", when 13 protesters were killed by British troops on January 30, 1972; song went to #1 in Ireland but was banned by the BBC; McCartney was criticized for the song which was to be on the 2001 "Wingspan" 2-CD hits package but EMI asked to keep it off after terrorist attack in London)



Give Ireland Back to the Irish (Version) - flip side of 45 which was instrumental version of the song; still embroiled in legal issues with the other 3 Beatles, Paul did not want the Apple logo on the single, so 5 shamrocks were used)

Birthday Calendar

March 11: Ric Rothwell (Mindbenders drummer) - 73

March 12: James Taylor - 70
Mike Gibbons (Badfinger drummer) - b. 1949
Marlon Jackson - 61

March 13: Sammy Kaye (Samuel Zarnocay, Jr.) - b. 1910
Erma Franklin - b. 1938
Mike Stoller (Lieber & Stoller) - 85
Neil Sedaka - 79

March 14: Les Baxter - b. 1922
Phil Phillips - 87
Jim Pons (bass player for The Leaves, The Turtles, & The Mothers of Invention) - 75
Michael Murphey - 73
Walter Parazaider (Chicago sax player) - 73

March 15: Mike Love (Beach Boys) - 77
Sly Stone (Sylvester Stewart) - 75

March 16: Jerry Jeff Walker - 76

March 17: Nat "King" Cole - b. 1919
Paul Kantner (Jefferson Airplane) - b. 1941
John Sebastian - 74

Game of Love - The Mindbenders (1965 - #1: British invasion hit)

Long Ago and Far Away - James Taylor (1971 - #31: Joni Mitchell supplied back-up vocals and Carole King played piano on this wistful release from "Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon")


Your Smiling Face - James Taylor (1977 - #20: song about then-wife Carly Simon, or Taylor's 3-year-old daughter?)

Baby Blue - Badfinger (1972 - #14: Badfinger played on George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" and the "Concert for Bangladesh")

I Want You Back - Jackson 5 (1969 - #1: first charting single for the group; Marlon Jackson was called 'the Dancingist Jackson')

Charade - Sammy Kaye & His Orchestra (1964 - #36: from movie of the same name starring Cary Grant & Audrey Hepburn; Kaye was one of the most famous bandleaders of the Big Band Era - "Swing and sway with Sammy Kaye")


Piece of My Heart - Erma Franklin (1967 - #62: chart entry for Aretha's big sister that would be a bigger hit for Janis Joplin in 1968)


3 in a row from the songwriting team of Lieber and Stoller (who wrote hits for The Drifters, The Coasters, and Elvis, among others):

Some Other Guy - The Beatles (1962 song by Richie Barrett went nowhere in the States, but was very popular in Liverpool; we heard it from the "Live at the BBC" CD)

Lucky Lips - Ruth Brown (1957 - #25: Atlantic Records was called "The House That Ruth Built" due to "Miss Rhythm's" success)



Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots - The Cheers (1955 - #6: many of Lieber & Stoller's songs were of the novelty variety)

Bad Blood - Neil Sedaka (1975 - #1: with Elton John on uncredited backing vocals)

The Poor People of Paris - Les Baxter (1956 - #1: million seller for the swing band arranger and composer)


Sea of Love - Phil Phillips (1959 - #2: one-hit wonder for the singer/guitarist born in Lake Charles, La.)

Hey Joe - The Leaves (1966 - #31: Jim Pons was co-founder of the group that was inspired by the Beatles; Pons left the group in 1967 to join The Turtles)

Is It Any Wonder? - The Turtles (1970 - UC: song was on 1967 LP Golden Hits but went nowhere when released 3 years later as a single; Pons left the music business in 1973 to become the film and video director for the NY Jets; since 2005 he does game day video for the Jacksonville Jaguars)


Carolina in the Pines - Michael Murphey (1975 - #21: from the LP Blue Sky, Night Thunder, before he added the middle name 'Martin'; friend of Monkee Mike Nesmith)

Just You 'n' Me - Chicago (1973 - #4: Walter Parazaider was a co-founder of the group, which was inspired by the Beatles song "Got to Get You Into My Life" to form a rock band with horns)

When I Grow Up - The Beach Boys (1964 - #9: song co-written by Mike Love and Brian Wilson)


Stand - Sly and the Family Stone (1969 - #22: song ranks #241 on RS 500 Greatest Songs list)

Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) - Sly and the Family Stone (1970 - #1: song ranks #402 on RS 500 list) 


Mr. Bojangles - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1970 - #9: most famous song written by Jerry Jeff Walker, who was born in Oneonta, NY but is known as "The Jimmy Buffett of Texas")

Stardust - Nat 'King' Cole (1957 - #79: Nat's cover of the Hoagy Carmichael classic; Cole had 59 charting singles in the rock'n'roll era)

The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil - Jefferson Airplane (1967 - #42: song written by Paul Kantner from the After Bathing at Baxter's LP)


She Is Still A Mystery - Lovin' Spoonful (1967 - #27: one of the last chart hits for the group led by John Sebastian, who appeared in Homer last November)

*Mull of Kintyre - Paul McCartney/Wings (1977 - UC: song about Paul's Scotland farm)

The Biplane: Ever More - The Irish Rovers (1968 - #91: something of a novelty song by the Irish group)


Love Train - The O'Jays (1973 - #1: biggest chart hit for the R&B group out of Canton, Ohio)

Saturday Night - The New Christy Minstrels (1963 - #29: Barry McGuire of "Eve of Destruction" fame provided the lead vocals)


Everybody Knows Matilda - Duke Baxter (1969 - #52: one-hit wonder out of Australia)

One Monkey Don't Stop No Show Part 1 - The Honey Cone (1971 - #15: song stayed on the charts for 11 weeks)



CLOSING THEME:  Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)


Host Next Week: (3/24) - Gregory James (GJ) with a spotlight on the week of March 24 1958, 1968, & 1978.

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